The transfer was scheduled for today. Josh Boone, an IDF sniper who served throughout this war, was hours away from getting the mental health support he desperately needed.
I got the call to cancel it. Josh took his own life before we could help.
Josh came from Boise, Idaho. The only Jewish kid in his high school. He spent his childhood fighting for his identity in rural America, then came to Israel and had to prove his Jewish heritage just to serve. He became an IDF sniper, served on the front lines, and survived combat that would break most people.
Listen to Josh tell his story:
Hear him describe his journey from being the “sheep dog from Idaho” to a guardian of the Jewish people. Listen to how his faith guided him through impossible situations. Listen to a soldier who found his purpose in defending Israel.
He survived the war. He didn’t survive coming home from it.
The Hidden Battle
The news covers the physical battles. Rockets intercepted, tunnels destroyed, hostages we’re still trying to bring home. The psychological battles happen in silence. In soldiers’ homes. In the space between who they were on the front lines and who they need to be at family dinner.
Josh’s story joins too many others we’re seeing now. Reservists who survived Gaza but struggle with the return to civilian life. Fathers who found clarity in combat and confusion at home. Soldiers carrying wounds that don’t appear on medical reports and don’t qualify for support systems designed around visible injuries.
The infrastructure exists for physical rehabilitation. Prosthetics, surgeries, physical therapy, disability payments. Mental health support lags behind. Soldiers wait months for appointments. They navigate bureaucratic systems while managing PTSD symptoms that make basic tasks overwhelming.
We Had the Funds Ready
Josh needed immediate help. We raised money to get it for him. Private therapy, specialized PTSD treatment, whatever it took to bridge the gap. The funds were ready. The transfer was scheduled.
We were hours too late.
Josh’s Legacy Lives On
Josh’s campaign continues now in his memory. The money meant to help him will help soldiers who are still here, still fighting the war after the war. We’re funding immediate intervention for reservists showing signs of severe PTSD, depression, or suicidal ideation. No waiting lists. No bureaucratic delays. Direct funding for mental health support before another family gets a call that comes too late.
Every soldier who returns from this war carries something home. Some carry pride in service, gratitude for gratitude for survival, relief at reuniting with family. Others carry psychological wounds that compound with each deployment, each return to civilian life that feels increasingly distant.
We couldn’t save Josh. But we can fund immediate mental health intervention for soldiers currently in crisis. We can bypass waiting lists and bureaucratic systems that delay care when hours matter. We can provide specialized trauma therapy from professionals who understand combat PTSD.
How You Can Help
Every dollar goes toward getting soldiers help before the call comes to cancel the transfer. Before another soldier who found his purpose defending Israel loses the battle at home.
Donate to provide PTSD support for soldiers in Josh’s memory →
The war everyone sees continues. The war most people don’t see claims casualties too. Josh Boone survived combat and deserved to survive coming home from it.
At Smiles for the Kids, we’re working to make sure other soldiers do.